At one o’clock in the afternoon, Oakland Police received a phone call reporting that a mentally disordered person was causing problems at Madison Jr. High School. The caller said the man was bothering the children and fighting with the staff. Officers David Branhan and David Marks were dispatched to the school.

After arriving at the school, the officers located the individual and escorted him to a conference room on the main floor where, although they attempted to calm him down, he began to fight with them. Somehow the subject seized Marks’ weapon and fired at both the officers. Branhan and Marks fell to the floor, mortally wounded. The suspect ran from the school and hid in an apartment. He was later shot and apprehended by Oakland officers.

Branhan, 29, who was survived by his wife, joined the department in 1970. He died at Highland Hospital.

Marks, 26, joined Oakland Police Department in May 1972. He died at Merritt Hospital of his wounds. He was survived by his mother.